12 Tips for My Finances That Clever Gave to Me

A festive, practical guide to year-end calm and a strong New Year rooted in Fractional CFO, accounting, and tax planning & filing.

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Quick wrap (for the busy founders)

Twelve everyday, do-right-now tips across cash flow, bookkeeping, tax planning, and CFO strategy each with a 10-minute action, a KPI to watch, and how a CleverProfits fractional CFO, accounting team, or tax specialist can help.

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Tip 1: A Cash-Flow Partridge in a Pear Tree

Theme: Short-term liquidity beats year-end surprises.
Do this today (10 minutes): Open your cash forecast and extend it through January 31. Add payroll, rent, debt service, sales tax, and expected collections.
KPI: Weeks of cash on hand (target 4 – 8 weeks depending on seasonality).
Why it matters: December receipts slow; January compresses everything. A simple, rolling forecast turns anxiety into clarity.
How Clever helps: A Fractional CFO builds a dynamic model, tests late-payment scenarios, and sets a line-of-credit strategy so you go into Q1 with confidence.

Tip 2: Two Invoices Flying (Out the Door)

Theme: Collections without the cringe.
Do this today: Turn on automated AR reminders at 7/14/21 days; include ACH/CC links. Send a friendly “year-end tidy-up” note to open balances.
KPI: % of AR >30 days and weekly cash collected.
Why it matters: One reminder sequence can pull forward a week of runway.
How Clever helps: Accounting & Bookkeeping team implements smart dunning, reconciles receipts quickly, and your CFO sets incentive offers that don’t erode margin.

Tip 3: Three Clean Recons

Theme: Reconcile banks/credit cards before you log off.
Do this today: Reconcile through the latest statement; flag unmatched items; lock the GL through the last reconciled date.
KPI: Reconciliation staleness (days since last recon).
Why it matters: Clean books now = faster tax close, clearer decisions in January.
How Clever helps: Accounting closes November/December fast, maintains audit trails, and prevents stray edits with close controls.

Tip 4: Four Payroll Drumbeats

Theme: No payroll surprises over holidays.
Do this today: Confirm next two payroll dates, funding cutoffs, bonus runs, and time-off accrual policies. Put dates in a shared calendar.
KPI: Payroll funded on time (100%).
Why it matters: Holiday bank closures + bonuses can create cash timing hiccups.
How Clever helps: Accounting schedules runs and uses a CFO-approved cash calendar to keep payroll, bonuses, and vendor payments in sync.

Tip 5: Five Golden Controls

Theme: Prevent “oops” spending while you’re away.
Do this today: Enable dual approval for bill pay, restrict corporate card limits, enforce MFA on finance apps, and review admin access.
KPI: % of bills paid with dual approval, # of admins (keep minimal).
Why it matters: The cheapest fraud is the fraud that never happens.
How Clever helps: Fractional CFO + Accounting design your approval matrix and spending guardrails; Tax flags deductible vs. nondeductible items.

Tip 6: Six Sales a-Gleaming (in Pipeline)

Theme: Don’t let January start from zero.
Do this today: Tag “Warm-January” opportunities. Schedule re-activation emails for first week back with one-click booking links.
KPI: Next-meeting rate on stalled deals, pipeline coverage (≥3× target).
Why it matters: A gentle nudge pre-holiday creates a full first-two-weeks calendar.
How Clever helps: Fractional CFO ties pipeline to revenue capacity and hiring plan; we quantify where to invest for highest return.

Tip 7: Seven Vendors Syncing

Theme: Keep suppliers aligned to your holiday cadence.
Do this today: Email top vendors your AP run dates, receiving/ship windows, and emergency contact. Batch noncritical invoices to the first full week of January.
KPI: On-time pay rate and early-pay savings captured.
Why it matters: Clear expectations avoid service hiccups and late fees.
How Clever helps: Accounting sets up scheduled payments; CFO validates early-pay discounts vs. cash cost.

Tip 8: Eight W-9s a-Waiting

Theme: 1099s and W-2s are won in December.
Do this today: Pull vendor list; request missing W-9s; confirm contractor emails and addresses. Verify employee addresses in payroll.
KPI: % of 1099-eligible vendors with W-9 on file (target 100%).
Why it matters: January 31 filing comes fast; prep now to avoid scramble.
How Clever helps: Tax Planning & Filing automates requests, prepares 1099s/W-2s, and reconciles to your GL to minimize corrections.

Tip 9: Nine Deductions Dancing

Theme: Last-minute, smart tax planning—no gimmicks.
Do this today: Review capex, prepaid expenses, retirement plan contributions, and bonus timing with your CPA. Model buy-now vs. defer.
KPI: Effective tax rate vs. target and cash impact.
Why it matters: Timing matters; deductions should serve your strategy, not just the calendar.
How Clever helps: Tax Planning coordinates with your CFO to align deductions, entity elections, and owner distributions with cash and growth goals.

Tip 10: Ten KPIs a-Leaping

Theme: A tiny year-end dashboard you’ll actually read.
Do this today: Set 5–7 metrics with red/yellow/green thresholds: Cash on hand, weekly collections, AR>30, payroll status, on-time shipments, open tickets, and a lead indicator (new demos booked).
KPI: (Meta!) % of weeks with green status on the dashboard.
Why it matters: If you only check once a week, make it count.
How Clever helps: Fractional CFO builds the dashboard, wires alerts, and runs a January retro to tighten thresholds.

Tip 11: Eleven Emails Sleeping (OOO Done Right)

Theme: Communicate once; prevent 100 follow-ups.
Do this today: Publish holiday hours on your site/support widget, set OOO with an on-call contact, and send “holiday checkpoint” emails for open projects: status, next step, return date.
KPI: % of customer inquiries answered within SLA, # duplicate tickets (aim down).
Why it matters: Expectations reduce escalations; escalations kill holidays.
How Clever helps: Accounting and CFO coordinate customer credits/SLAs where needed and ensure the financial impact is tracked.

Tip 12: Twelve Weeks of Runway

Theme: Start January with a Q1 plan you’re proud of.
Do this today: Book a 60-minute January Re-Start: re-forecast through March, set 1–3 quarterly outcomes, and define weekly owner scorecards.
KPI: Q1 plan on one page shared with owners/leads.
Why it matters: Momentum loves clarity.
How Clever helps: Fractional CFO turns ambition into a cash-aware operating plan; Accounting closes books fast so you can measure progress; Tax preps deadlines so compliance doesn’t derail execution.

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The Print-Friendly Checklist (to use with your team)

Cash & CFO

• Extend cash forecast to Jan 31 (add payroll, rent, debt, tax).
• Confirm LOC availability and card limits.
• Approve early-pay discounts (if ROI > borrowing cost).
• Schedule January Re-Start planning session.

Accounting

• Reconcile bank/credit cards through latest statement.
• Lock the GL through last reconciled date; export a backup.
• Turn on AR reminders; enable ACH/CC payments.
• Schedule AP runs (pre-holiday and first full week of January).

Tax

• Pull 1099-eligible vendor list; collect W-9s.
• Verify employee addresses; preview W-2 data.
• Model capex/bonus timing; confirm Q4 estimates (often due Jan 15).
• List January state/sales-tax filings with due dates.

Operations & Customers

• Publish holiday hours and SLAs.
• Send project “checkpoint” emails with on-call contacts.
• Confirm last ship dates; update checkout messages.
• Set OOO across email/Slack with who’s covering what.

Security & Controls

• MFA on all finance apps; audit admin roles.
• Dual approvals for bill pay; temporary card limits.
• Device encryption/VPN for anyone traveling.

Dashboard (Weekly)

• Cash on hand (weeks), weekly collections, AR>30, payroll status, on-time shipments, open tickets, demos booked.
• Define R/Y/G thresholds and who gets alerted.

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How this ties back to our services

• Fractional CFO Services: Cash forecasting, KPI dashboards, controlled spend frameworks, pricing & pipeline planning, Q1 operating plan.
• Accounting & Bookkeeping: Reconciliations, close process, AP/AR automation, payroll coordination, clean audit trails.
• Tax Planning & Filing: Year-end optimization (timing of deductions), 1099/W-2 workflows, sales/use tax calendars, owner-level estimates.

The gift here isn’t a cute metaphor, it’s clarity and control. With our CFO’s, accountants, and tax pro’s aligned, you get a holiday you can actually enjoy and a January that feels composed, not chaotic.

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FAQ’s

What should I do first if I only have 30 minutes?
Update your cash forecast through Jan 31 and turn on AR reminders with quick-pay links. Those two actions change outcomes fastest.

How much cash buffer should I hold over the holidays?
Aim for 4 – 8 weeks of operating expenses. If customers typically pay late in December/early January, lean toward the higher end.

Do I have to send 1099s to every vendor?
No. Generally you’ll send 1099-NEC to non-employee service providers paid $600+, with exceptions. Always collect W-9s and confirm with your tax professional.

What KPIs matter if I only check once a week?
Cash on hand (weeks), weekly collections, AR>30, payroll status, support backlog, and one lead indicator (e.g., demos booked).

What’s the fastest way to reduce year-end stress?
Set dual approval for payables, pre-schedule AP runs, confirm payroll funding dates, and publish holiday hours with on-call contacts.

Give yourself the gift of a quiet holiday (and a powerful Q1)

Ready to put these 12 tips on autopilot? Our Fractional CFOs, accountants, and tax pros will build your cash forecast, clean your books, and prep 1099/W-2 filings so you can actually unplug.
Book a call with CleverProfits and start January strong.